Returning to Scottsdale, Arizona, in early December is T.H. Brennen Fine Art's Annual 12 x 12 Holiday Show, featuring fresh, quality works created in a 12-by-12-inch format. These small works, varying in subject matter, style and medium, are designed to “surprise and inspire,” just in time for the holiday season.
“This annual event invites emerging artists to showcase 12-by-12-inch works alongside celebrated gallery regulars,” says gallery director Jennifer Golubiewski. “This is a rare chance to collect small-format originals from top names. The show opens during Scottsdale’s iconic Thursday night art walk, when Main Street galleries keep their doors open late and the district buzzes with art lovers, music and conversation.”
Chris Dellorco, Comfort, oil, 12 x 12 in.
Realistic figurative oil painter Chris Dellorco presents work like Comfort, depicting a female figure. “This piece captures a moment of profound sadness, as a woman holds her head in despair, covered in black tulle fabric,” the artist explains. “While the piece initially seems to be a very despondent emotional piece, there is a juxtaposition of a small sparrow seeming to offer comfort. I often use birds in my art to depict the voice in our heads that offers hope, no matter how small. I chose a sparrow specifically because it is so small and non-descript in coloring that we barely notice. And yet, they are always around us, like that small voice reminding ourselves that everything will be alright, even in our darkest moments.”
Dellorco’s use of fabric is also key to his work, creating a graphic focal point that adds a more fluid element to express motion. “In most of my paintings, the fabric interacts with the figure almost as another living element in the art,” he shares.
Marija (Maya) Redzic, Memories 12, acrylic on panel, 12 x 12 in.
Generally, Dellorco paints larger work, so to create a smaller piece he must view the space differently. “Strong composition is still the key, but it has to be simplified for a smaller size,” he says. “There must be a simplicity of elements and a strong focal point to bring the viewer in and give the painting the attention it requires. In Comfort, the focal element is the hands, which are almost lit in a spotlight effect.”
Inspired by the interplay of light and shadow, the raw beauty of nature and the intricate dynamics of urban life, artist Marija (Maya) Redzic features work that’s often created using unconventional materials and by using the technique known as trompe l’oeil. “My [show piece], Memories 12, is part of a vibrant, nostalgic body of work that rekindles the childlike curiosity we so quickly outgrow,” Redzic adds. “It captures the fleeting poetry of school days, the excitement of a first kiss, the silence of a classroom pierced by a paper plane’s gentle flight towards the one you had your eyes on.”
Derek Harrison, Twilight Ride, oil on panel, 12 x 12 in.
Redzic also shares insights on the challenges of working on a smaller scale. “Each doodle, each fragment of writing, must speak clearly, carrying both meaning and emotion,” she says. “Yet this constraint often becomes a kind of liberation—once the vision takes shape in my mind, the piece (usually!) comes together much quicker than larger works do.”
Visit T.H. Brennen Fine Art from December 4 through 31 to see the Annual 12 x 12 Holiday Show in its entirety. A reception will be held on December 11 from 6 to 9 p.m., during Scottsdale’s art walk. —
T.H. Brennen Fine Art 7150 E. Main Street Scottsdale, AZ 85251 • (480) 994-1355 www.thbrennenfineart.com
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